THE INSTITUTE FOR FREEDOMgovernance for a free, just, and prosperous society

OBJECTIVEDramatically increase freedom, justice, and prosperity in society by means of an innovative new constitution that implements individual sovereignty and equality before the law as the supreme law.

Launch the Freedom Universal Network—a respected nonpartisan global network of distinguished experts and organizations—as a research and delivery vehicle for the Freedom Universal and the Freedom Universal Constitution. Build relationships with leading researchers, thought leaders, change agents, the media, and the public. The Freedom Universal Network will coordinate and produce leading peer-reviewed research on individual sovereignty, equality before the law, the rule of law, the role of property, and voluntary institutions, as well as:

Develop quantitative metrics for individual sovereignty and equality before the law, along the lines of the metrics for economic freedom developed by the Economic Freedom Network.

Produce annual reports ranking jurisdictions on their degree of individual sovereignty and equality before the law, comparing these with third-party rankings of freedom, justice, and prosperity such as those produced by Freedom House, Amnesty International, the World Bank, and others.

Establish individual sovereignty and equality before the law—as defined in the Freedom Universal Constitution—as the primary requirements for a free, just, and prosperous society. Do this by means of objective research and analysis, widely disseminated through networking, media and educational channels and initiatives.

Write and publish a book on the Freedom Universal, detailing the historic, philosophic, economic, legal, social, and policy case for the Freedom Universal and its associated constitution, targeted at a broad audience of scholars and laypersons.

Consult to jurisdictions interested in implementing individual sovereignty and equality before the law, as detailed in the Freedom Universal Constitution.

Successfully implement the Freedom Universal Constitution in a growing number of jurisdictions.

Our societies are increasingly overwhelmed by apparently insurmountable problems. When asked to name the single greatest social evil, the answer given by most people is violence (in its various forms). In addition to the obvious reasons, there are also deeper reasons why we should oppose violence: the pattern of advances and declines of civilizations throughout history teaches us that the rises and falls of societies are neither inevitable nor random, but depend on the choices we make. When given a choice, most people choose good over evil. But to choose good, we need to be free to choose. Violence robs us of our freedom to choose. But more: violence inverts the incentives that operate between people in peaceful contexts, destroys the natural harmony of interests between people, and places the aggressor in the position of master over his slave, the victim—a position of inequality and a violation of individual sovereignty. Thus violence is inherently opposed to and incompatible with individual sovereignty and equality before the law.

Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that many of our thorniest social problems have their roots in breaches of individual sovereignty and equality before the law. If a way can be found to reduce or prevent such breaches, we will have found a powerful means to increase equality, reduce violence, restore healthy incentives, and thereby greatly improve our individual and social well-being. The Freedom Universal Constitution provides such a solution.

The Freedom Universal Constitution has several features essential to its success: Firstly, it is a deep solution: it addresses the key social issues and dynamics in an integrated, non-contradictory solution. Secondly, it is formulated in terms of concepts and language that have universal mainstream cultural appeal and support. Thirdly, it is elegant in its simplicity: even children can grasp its essence. Fourthly, it is designed to be resilient and robust to social conditions, both during the initial phase-in period and during social upheavals. Finally, it is straightforward to implement.

STRATEGY Build universal appeal by focusing on common interests. Go beyond traditional labels, groupings, and thought patterns. Actively work to overcome divisions, oppositions, and intellectual inertia by innovating new ways to frame issues, debates, and solutions. Do this by going deeper than conventional dichotomies to find the underlying unity. Remain staunchly nonpartisan, nonaligned, neutral. Build relationships and support across the political, religious, cultural, national, socio-economic, and ideological spectra. This approach will be key to the Freedom Universal Constitution’s success.

STATUS 1. An initial version of the Freedom Universal Constitution has been completed. A PDF version will be made available for download from the website. The book version is in progress. The original website, targeted at a more intellectual audience, is currently being redesigned for a broader public audience.
2. Preliminary contact is being initiated with researchers and thought leaders, and the response is encouraging. Formal contact with potential sponsors will commence with the launch of the redesigned website.

ACTION Build relationships with and obtain the support of:

Researchers and thought leaders

Philanthropists, individuals and organizations

that want to contribute to the growth and flourishing of freedom on a hitherto unparalleled scale.